Unusual connection dropping problems

RidleyDeckard

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Hi there,

I seem to be having some very unusual connection problems in my office. I get supplied with a LAN connection which has internet in it, I put that into a Belkin router and then supply wifi / cable connection to the three computers we have. When we switch everything onto begin with everything works fine, but if we don't use the internet for about 5 minutes we lose our connection. The only way we can get it back is to unplug the cable from the router and re-plug it after a short while (10 - 20 seconds seems to work)

But this is where it gets a little weird. If I have a Gmail page open, but don’t do anything else on the internet for a while, we lose connection on everything except the browser with Gmail open. Emails arrive normally, but all other internet pages refuse to open and as soon as we try to open another page in the browser with Gmail running, it instantly refuses to connect. Another example is I was watching a live video stream, after about 10 minutes, all my other pages drop their connection but the video kept going without any problem.

Unfortunately the people who supply me with the internet keep saying the problem must be at my end, because if you plug the cable directly into a machine it does connect and keep running without any errors, so I’m assuming it is something with the router. But I’ve tried a few other routers, my Cisco Linksys flatly refuses to connect to the network whatever settings I try and an Apple Airport Extreme does exactly the same as the Belkin.

Has anyone got any ideas as to what I should try to fix my internet dropping?
 
good one, try replacing the router with a dumb switch, connect the router and one machine on there then daisychain the others via the router, see if only the machines connected via the router are dropped.
Are you using the WAN connection on the router to attach your feed?
 
Thanks for the idea, I haven't got a dumb switch here, but I have one at home, I'm actually going to go and pick it up.
And yes, we are using the WAN connection on the router
 
I recall on some belkins there was a setting to 'keep alive' the wan port. Can't remember the exact tickbox they used but might be worth you having a look....
 
I think the Keep Alive option is only available when you are using the router as a modem with a PPPoE connection
 
Would second maddogb suggestion using the switch.

Could you specify exactly what models you have used ? Belkin, Cisco Linksys etc.

Finally, from your original post, it sounds like you are in a building where internet access is supplied as part of the service.(as in not controlled by you) would this be correct ?
 
Put the switch in this morning and I'll let you know how I get on.

Mike, the Belkin is a N+ gigbit wireless router, (F5D8235-4v1 is the model number!) and that seems to be the one giving me issues. The Cisco Linksys is an E2000, we have 3 of those as we use them to create wireless networks for upto 100 ipads in a conference environment, but for some reason they flatly refuse to connect to the internet connection we are being provided with.

Quick update - After being on for half an hour, everything connected via the switch works perfect, the router has dropped the connect! So it is my router after all.
 
well its sounds like some part of the chain is convinced this is a PPPoE connection,
try updating the firmware on the belkin if needed and a factory reset, you could also try enabling the ppoe then clicking the keep alive option before disabling pppoe again, might be some software branching error.
 
1. Check firmware on Belkin router is up to date.
2. Log on to GUI of Router and look at the setup. For the type of connection you are being supplied with the only way the router can be configured is as a static ip address or dynamic.(I would go with dynamic first.)

I can also confirm that for normal connection like PPPoE etc there is a Disconnect after X option. This is supplied mainly for pay per minute internet.

UPDATE : the same principal can be applied to the Cisco Linksys E2000.
 
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I had very similar symptoms to this using a Belkin Share router (the grey box one). Flashing firmware was ineffective so I involved Belkin Support to try to get the box changed. Despite having registered with Belkin when I purchased the device 10 Months ago, it was a nightmare getting them to accept that it should be replaced under their extended 2 year warranty. Eventually I escalated it within Belkin (it was nearly 11.5 months old by the time they accepted that it should be changed).

My router is the cable router version, where WAN is supplied by a Virginmedia cable modem. The symptoms were the same, no http traffic yet it would receive email, eventually it collapsed totally, and I am now the owner of a Netgear WNR2200. The replacement Belkin is upstairs still packaged...
 
I had very similar symptoms to this using a Belkin Share router (the grey box one). Flashing firmware was ineffective so I involved Belkin Support to try to get the box changed. Despite having registered with Belkin when I purchased the device 10 Months ago, it was a nightmare getting them to accept that it should be replaced under their extended 2 year warranty. Eventually I escalated it within Belkin (it was nearly 11.5 months old by the time they accepted that it should be changed).

My router is the cable router version, where WAN is supplied by a Virginmedia cable modem. The symptoms were the same, no http traffic yet it would receive email, eventually it collapsed totally, and I am now the owner of a Netgear WNR2200. The replacement Belkin is upstairs still packaged...

i had the same with d-link, despite the fact i explained i had two dsl lines in the house and 4 routers to test with all working fine apart from the dlink which was inaccessible even on the lan interface, the support guy insisted i contact my isp and supply them with details of the isps whoosh test lol
ended up binning it and havent bought dlink since.
 

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